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Learn the wildlife of national parks

Learn the wildlife of Cotacachi Cayapas National Park

Ecuador

424 species have research-grade observations inside Cotacachi Cayapas National Park on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, so you know what you're looking at before you go.

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Āki the kiwi, KnowKi's guide

Most recorded here

The species with the most research-grade observations on iNaturalist, and how many each has. Most recorded doesn't mean native.

Birds

  1. Slate-colored Coot Fulica ardesiaca69
  2. Great Thrush Turdus fuscater10
  3. Yellow-breasted Brushfinch Atlapetes latinuchus10
  4. Black-tailed Trainbearer Lesbia victoriae9
  5. Shining Sunbeam Aglaeactis cupripennis9
  6. Carunculated Caracara Daptrius carunculatus9
  7. Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager Anisognathus igniventris8
  8. Western Cattle-Egret Ardea ibis7
  9. Silvery Grebe Podiceps occipitalis6
  10. Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus6

Plants

  1. Andean blueberry Vaccinium floribundum105
  2. Lamourouxia virgata94
  3. Puya asplundii87
  4. Jamieson's Epidendrum Epidendrum jamiesonis85
  5. Andean Blue Clover Dalea coerulea82
  6. Cacalote Gaultheria myrsinoides61
  7. Tillandsia lajensis58
  8. Northern banana passionfruit Passiflora mixta56
  9. Coriaria ruscifolia56
  10. Chikku Chikku Hypochaeris sessiliflora48

Mammals

  1. White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus9
  2. Brown-headed Spider Monkey Ateles fusciceps2
  3. Culpeo Lycalopex culpaeus2
  4. Greater Sac-winged Bat Saccopteryx bilineata1
  5. Proboscis Bat Rhynchonycteris naso1
  6. Ocelot Leopardus pardalis1
  7. Soft Grass Mouse Akodon mollis1
  8. Orces' Nectar bat Lonchophylla orcesi1
  9. Striped Hog-nosed Skunk Conepatus semistriatus1

Insects

  1. Andean Red Bumble Bee Bombus rubicundus20
  2. Anaxita suprema19
  3. Oxyallagma dissidens17
  4. Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera16
  5. Pseudomeloe collegialis15
  6. Andean Lady Vanessa altissima6
  7. Actinote negra5
  8. Rhionaeschna marchali4
  9. Highland Meadowhawk Sympetrum gilvum4
  10. Andean buckeye Junonia vestina4

Spiders and kin

  1. Golden Silk Spider Trichonephila clavipes4
  2. Silver Garden Orbweaver Argiope argentata1
  3. Amazon Thorn Spider Micrathena schreibersi1

Reptiles

  1. Günther's Whorltail Iguana Stenocercus guentheri30
  2. Terciopelo Bothrops asper2
  3. Rainforest Hognose Viper Porthidium nasutum2
  4. Chocoan bushmaster Lachesis acrochorda2
  5. Ecuador Frog-eating Snake Diaphorolepis wagneri1
  6. Chicken Snake Spilotes pullatus1
  7. Spotted Lancehead Bothrops punctatus1
  8. O'Shaughnessy's Dwarf Iguana Enyalioides oshaughnessyi1
  9. Bocourt's Dwarf Iguana Enyalioides heterolepis1
  10. Ecuadorian Annulated Tree Boa Corallus blombergi1

Amphibians

  1. Little Devil Poison Frog Oophaga sylvatica5
  2. Riobamba Pouched Frog Gastrotheca riobambae2
  3. Marbled Poison Frog Epipedobates boulengeri1
  4. Dwarf Glass Frog Teratohyla spinosa1
  5. Beautiful Cane Toad Rhinella bella1

How a trip works

A trip has its own trail of lessons: meet six species, match them to new photos, then practice with four choices. Species you learn go into your Fieldbook, and starting a trip earns its Passport stamp. Your home place stays as it is.

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Species lists and counts from research-grade observations on iNaturalist, as of October 2026. Parks outside the U.S. are from the World Database on Protected Areas (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, Protected Planet). KnowKi is not affiliated with the National Park Service or any park's managers. Free, with no ads, no account, and no purchases.